BEST DAMN NACHOS CHIPS and more - Cheesecake Factory - San Mateo CA
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SERVICE: I expected pleasant staff and they were; it’s just that they did not WOW me as my wife would put it. Places like Cheesecake Factory tend to sell a quality service and this was just par for the area.

AMBIENCE: There is not much they can do, it’s a family restaurant and there are screaming kids, rude parents, and always a few loud slightly drunk folks at the bar or tables. On the positive side they have outside (in the mall not restaurant) seating and that is what I requested.

APPEARANCE: Even though the platter was a bit on the flat side these nachos were very presentable. Maybe a bit more color using olives or use of trip color chips would set them more apart. That said they still looked great.

TASTE: Wow! To say the least I was surprised. It had been maybe two years since my last take and I did not remember them this good. What set these nachos apart was the two kinds of cheese and the spice. Everything just came together perfect. Then, on top of that, there was the chips. There are times when a little over cooked is just what you need. GREAT CHIPS! awesome crunch but still solid flavor to the chip.

VALUE: Given that I was in San Mateo and this is one of the most expensive zip codes in the US, the pricing was not bad. My only knock would be that you could get a bit more on the plate for the money… just a bit :)

I don't like to call myself a foodie as that implies I have a higher bar, like not doing reviews of chain restaurants. Oh wait, I did have that rule.... DID! It still kinda kills me to give a chain such high marks but TCF did a great job. Well as the story goes, I went shopping with my wife and after a few stores I was quickly dispatched to find something to do. Cmmmmmm what shall I do? GET NACHOS! The closest place was Cheesecake Factory and said, what the hell, I’ll do a chain restaurant. So here we go folks: